Raiders file application for move to Las Vegas, aim to build 65,000-seat stadium
>> NEW YORK: The Oakland Raiders officially filed paperwork with the NFL on Thursday to relocate the team to Las Vegas, the league announced, potentially bringing the US gambling capital its second major sports franchise.
Raiders owner Mark Davis has been in talks with Las Vegas officials about construction of a new stadium that would serve as the team’s new home. Last week, he updated NFL team owners on the status of those talks.
A proposed 65,000-seat domed stadium in Las Vegas would cost US$1.9 billion, with $500 million coming from the Raiders and the NFL, $650 million from billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson and $750 million more from hotel tax revenue.
“Today the Oakland Raiders submitted an application to relocate their franchise to Las Vegas, as is provided for under the NFL policy and procedures for proposed franchise relocations,” the NFL statement said.
“The application will be reviewed in the coming weeks by league staff and the stadium and finance committees. The relocation of a franchise requires the affirmative vote of three-quarters of the NFL clubs (24 of 32).”
The Raiders had faced a February deadline to make the application in order for owners to be able to vote on the move later this year.
Exactly when the Raiders might play their first home games i n Las Vegas if the move is approved remains uncertain.
An NFL website report says they likely would spent at least two more seasons in Oakland before making the move when the new stadium is completed, expected f or t he 2020 campaign.
Las Vegas, long shunned by North America’s pro sports leagues for concerns its betting parlours and casino culture could cause concerns over the integrity of game results, has become a sporting gold mine.
The National Hockey League awarded an expansion team, the Vegas Golden Knights, to the city last June. The club will begin play in October at a new arena.
The Raiders, born in the San Francisco Bay Area, made a temporary move to Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994 before returning to Oakland.
But the inability to strike a deal in the Oakland area for a new stadium — they are the last NFL team that shares a stadium with a Major League Baseball team — prompted the Raiders to seek a new home.
The Raiders were among three clubs last year who sought to relocate to Los Angeles. All three made pitches but the NFL owners selected the St. Louis Rams, who returned to Los Angeles for this past season.
The San Diego Chargers, given the first right of joining the Rams in a new stadium project, last week announced they were moving to Los Angeles as well — an option the Raiders would have had if the Chargers had said no, but a scenario made unlikely after San Diego voters rejected funding a new stadium last year.